May there be a multitude of books under your tree or in your eReader and many an adventure or wondrous tale therein. I hope this day~as do all that follow~finds you safe and happy.
If you aren't sure what Jólabókaflóð is, you are in for a treat. It is the greatest holiday tradition you never knew about, and will want to work into your holiday from now on~if you're a book lover, that is. And I'm guessing, since you're here, you are! Jólabókaflóð is the Icelandic tradition of giving books as gifts on the eve of the holiday, then spending the day/evening reading them while enjoying a hot beverage of your choice, often jólabland (orange soda and malt/beer). Myself, I go for hot cocoa, but you do you. Jólabókaflóð (pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot) originated circa world war II when many things were rationed, but paper wasn't one of them. Couple that with Icelanders deeply ingrained love for books, and it swiftly became a tradition embraced and beloved by the entire country. In mid-November, a catalogue of new book releases is created, everyone puts in their orders, and then the books are given as gifts on the eve of the holiday and everyone nestles i
Today I'm post-poning the creature feature to take part in a very important blogfest honoring banned books. It was brought to my attention by the fantastic I Am A Reader Not A Writer blog . Nearly every one of the great Ellen Hopkins's novels has been banned somewhere. She writes about things that challenge kids today, sex, drugs, prostitution, terrible things for sure, but things kids are dealing with whether we like it or not. Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, about a girl who is raped, is banned in many places. Others may surprise you such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The House of Night novels by P.C. Cast, The Golden Compass novels by Philip Pullman, and the Vampire Academy novels by Richelle Mead. There are so many more that it saddens me to go on. I've recently learned that my own novel, The Secret of Spruce Knoll, will not be carried in my most local bookstore because of an intense scene in it. I unde
As my agent and I delve into the frightening stage of submitting to publishers the subject of The Big 6 comes up yet again and I realized, not all aspiring authors know what this means. Before the editor stage of submitting I didn't realize who The Big 6 were either. Here they are in no particular order (some subsidiaries may not be listed. Click on the link for a full listing): Random House: There are a lot of publishing groups each with their own imprints under this huge roof. Here the groups: Crown Trade Group, Knopf Doubleday Publishing, Random House Publishing Group (including Ballantine, Bantam, Dell, and many others), RH Audio Publishing Group, Random House Children's Books, RH Information Group, RH International, RH Large Print. http://www.randomhouse.biz/ourpublishers/ Simon & Schuster: Atria, Folger Shakespeare Library, Free Press, Gallery Books, Howard Books, Pocket, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Threshold Editions, Touchstone/Fireside, Aladdin, Atheneum
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Heather! See you in 2013!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Lorelei!
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours. I'm just so happy because I got my book in time for Christmas. Thank you !!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm so glad they arrived. It was such a pleasure designing the cover for you.
DeleteVictor and Alice send you the brightest holiday wishes ever. DayStar is a grouch this time of year. :-) May all your New Year wishes come true!
ReplyDeleteThanks to all of you in that case! LOL! May all your new year wishes come true as well Roland. You deserve it!
DeleteHappy Holidays Heather :)
ReplyDelete.......dhole
Merry Christmas, Heather! Wishing that all of your dreams come true in 2013!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Heather!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had an awesome Christmas. Enjoy the rest of the holiday week and may 2013 be our best year ever!
Happy Holidays, Heather! Hope the new year brings you nothing but great things!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful holiday message! Happy Holidays to you, as well! May you find all your dreams come true in the new year! :)
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